Interesting facts about slot gaming

Up until the mid-1980s, casinos didn’t really take slot machines seriously. 30 years later, slots have become the ‘bread and butter’ of the casino industry as whole. Their popularity has also given rise to ever more sophisticated online games, such as those from PlayCosmo, a new casino hoping to change the way people game.

Here are some fun facts about the slot gaming…

Slot machines make up more than 85% of revenues

As previously stated, many casinos did not take slots seriously as they were not always profitable. Many sexist male operators considered them a past-time for wives and girlfriends of serious players. They believed this ‘distraction’ would allow the high rollers to spend the big bucks at the poker and blackjack tables.

Yet over the last three decades the gambling industry has changed almost beyond all recognition. By 2003, only 15% of the average casino’s revenues came from more traditional gaming. With the advent of online gaming and the onset of the mobile revolution, profits from slots continue to grow.

Online slots are much the same as land-based machines

Some punters trust brick and mortar slot machines more than their online siblings. This was especially true in the early days of the internet, when online gambling was subject to less regulation. Some fear that online gambling sites are fixed, but this simply is not true.

In fact, both ‘real’ and online slots use a random number generator; your odds of winning are pretty much the same on either medium. If anything, online slots give you more of an advantage due to the sheer number of free spins and bonuses on offer.

The biggest slot of all time was ‘Big Bertha’

‘Big Bertha’ was 2.5 metres tall, had 8 reels and 20 symbols. The cost of building the machine came to $150,000. Yet Bertha proved unpopular with punters due to the low odds of winning, and because every pull cost $100.

Most slot machine systems and strategies don’t work

You may occasionally see websites promising great riches from slot machine strategies. One popular technique that many snake-oil salesmen like to sell is the “zig-zag” system. This promotes the idea that you can predict which machines are due to pay out by looking at the symbols that are visible while the machine is at rest. But trust us – it doesn’t work!

The best strategy is sticking to machines with low jackpots but frequent pay outs. You are less likely to win anything on the lottery machines. With this mind, winning something is better than nothing.

Slot machines never get “hot” or “cold”

Some players believe that you are more likely to win if you play at certain times of day than at others. However, your chance of winning the jackpot is no way influenced by what day of the week or time of day you play. Nor does it depend on how many people have played on a machine in the last week. Random number generators will send punters on apparent streaks of luck. Yet in reality, there is no such thing.